5 Things To Know Before You See Black Panther

I know that there are already a ton of reviews, think pieces, and more on the world wide web about the greatness that is on the horizon (less than 24 hours!). We have been waiting for this film for two years, and had a tiny tease of all that Black Panther could be on screen in the latest Avengers flick. However… we are less than one day away and there are a few things I want to remind you, and let you know (if you didn’t already) before you walk into those theater doors.

And while you may not need any reasons to see Black Panther, or don’t care if you know these things or not, you gotta admit that:

You will have some cool fun facts to share at the water cooler at work the following day.

It’s better to see Black Panther all over the internet then the other nonsense we’ve been bombarded with as of late.

So I shall proceed…

5 Things To Know Before You See Black Panther

1. Directed by Ryan Coogler: This statement in itself should be enough for you to run out to theaters. I have yet to be disappointed by a Ryan Coogler film, and I don’t expect to be any time soon. With Fruitvale Station and Creed under his belt, Ryan Coogler has a style all his own and is sure to display that on screen. Though this is his first major budgeted franchise, it’s hard to imagine him cracking under the pressure with such strong actors behind his vision. If not for any other reason, Black Panther had me sold from the start simply because I knew Coogler was at the helm.

2. Michael B. Jordan Plays One Hell Of A Villain: Okay… I know my friends are reading this shaking their heads because they know just how obsessed I am with MBJ. However… removing all infatuated bias from the mix, Michael B. Jordan is playing a true villain for the first time in his career. He’s not new to the Marvel world (he played Human Torch in the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot), but he is in fact brand new to the idea of being on the bad guys side. Teaming up with Ryan Coogler was no surprise as their dynamic duo in film is always powerful. And Killmonger… ladies and gentlemen is BOMB AF! Plus MBJ is always quite amazing to simply look at.

image courtesy of Essence Magazine

3. The Entire FREAKING CAST: Okay… let’s start off with the simple fact that Black Panther is going to snatch our souls on opening weekend. If the story line and beautiful cinematography aren’t enough to get you, the stacked A-list cast sure as shit is enough to snatch my soul. Besides Micheal B Jordan, we’ve got Lupita Nyong’o, Chadwick Boseman, Forest Whitaker, and last but certainly not least Angela Freaking Bassett! This cast is stacked with amazing actors and actresses who are going to bring nothing but straight heat to the screen. They deserve all the magazine covers, all the awards, all the praise…. EVERYTHING!

image courtesy of Time Magazine

4. Black Panther (the comic) origin: Okay so I’m a Marvel fanatic… BUT I will not lie.. I didn’t know much about the Black Panther comic (shame on me). And that is why I too am doing my research before hand. While I don’t have the luxury of time on my side (working a full time job and blogging don’t allow for much comic book reading time), that is what the internet is for! I’ll give a brief summary/over view to why the origin of Black Panther is so important. The Black Panther comic was released originally in the late 60s during the Civil Rights movement. The original creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were sympathetic to the cause and set out to create a “pro black” character that was smart, rich, heroic and Afro centered. That’s the basics. Much later on (1998) Christopher Priest would expand on the original idea and create the non stereotypical character that we get to see on our big screen. And to clarify for those of you who may not be sure, The Black Panther comic has nothing to do with the political party.

As the first mainstream black hero (yup.. even before Luke Cage), this character has always been important. And now with the magnitude of the film… we can only guess how freaking phenomenal this moment in history is going to be.

5. Who Run The World: GIRLS! The Dora Milaje take no shit! I love this movie for everything it is already before even seeing it. The concepts, the stories, the natural hair (swoon). But beyond just being a powerful movie for the black community to be proud of, Black Panther also sends a huge nod to us black women as well. Strong, powerful, protective warriors… ’nuff sad. Ryan Coogler knows how to present the black woman on screen as he has done so several times before, and he does not disappoint here either.

How this comic came about is important, how it was expanded, elaborated on, developed and transformed into a film is also important. Experiencing this moment at the height of the social media age, is a perfect moment to set history and tweet about it at the same damn time! I for one can not wait to see Black Panther on the big screen, and read/write all of the think pieces that will flood the internets the entire weekend.

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